We are looking forward to meeting you in the fall and working with you this year. We hope that you will continue to read many different things over the summer – books, blogs, articles, poetry, etc. To kick off the year, you will be sharing one great novel from your summer reading with your Literature Links class. We hope that hearing about all the great books your peers read over the summer will help you find some new books to add to your own “Books I Want to Read” list!
Why read over the summer? Reading over the summer is not only a great escape for your imagination, but it helps you to use and hold on to all the reading skills you have developed. Summer reading prepares you to be a stronger student when you come back to school!
STEP #1
READ a grade-appropriate work of fiction of interest to you. If you need help finding a book, try looking at websites such as www.goodreads.com. Here are some possibilities based on The New York Times Best Sellers List. These are just suggested titles – choose something of interest at your own reading level. Be sure your parent/guardian approves of your selection.
New York Times Best Sellers – Middle Grades
PAX, by Sara Pennypacker. Illustrated by Jon Klassen. (Balzer & Bray.) Separation makes a boy and his pet fox wilder and tougher.
WONDER, by R. J. Palacio. (Knopf.) A boy with a facial deformity enters school.
THE SWORD OF SUMMER, by Rick Riordan. (Disney-Hyperion.) A homeless teenager tries to retrieve an ancient Norse sword.
AUGGIE & ME, by R. J. Palacio. (Knopf.) A collection of three "Wonder" stories.
MR. LEMONCELLO'S LIBRARY OLYMPICS, by Chris Grabenstein. (Random House.) Teams compete while trying to solve the mystery of the missing books.
ROBOTS GO WILD, by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein. Illustrated by Juliana Neufeld. (Little, Brown.) A sequel features a boy and his robot trying to help a bedridden sister.
CRENSHAW, by Katherine Applegate. (Feiwel & Friends.) A giant cat on a surfboard appears to a boy on the verge of homelessness.
BAD LUCK, by Pseudonymous Bosch. (Little, Brown.) Clay proves his mettle when a cruise ship owner arrives on the island intent on stirring up trouble.
THE TERRIBLE TWO GET WORSE, by Mac Barnett and Jory John. Illustrated by Kevin Cornell. (Abrams.) Pranksters face a new challenge when a former principal returns to the job.
Step #2
CREATE a visual display about your book, using a manila folder. Be creative and thoughtful in your presentation. You may create each section electronically or by hand. Remember that the purpose of the activity is to persuade others to read your book!
*Instead of the manila folder, you are allowed to create an electronic version of this assignment if you prefer. Just be sure to include all of the same information, clearly labeled. Bring to class on a thumb drive.
Front Cover:
Back Cover:
Novel Title Author
SUMMARY – An objective summary tells who the main character is, the setting, the conflict or problem, and how the character goes about resolving the problem. Do not give away the climax or resolution of the story. Do not include minor details from the plot or your personal opinion about the book.
Images that represent the novel, or a picture of the cover of the book (hand-drawn or electronic).
Biographical information about the author (where he/she lives, other books he or she has written, etc.)
Your Autobiography!
Use words and pictures to introduce yourself to your new classmates.
You might include information about:
Family Interests Activities Favorite things School(s) you attended
Hopes and dreams for 7th grade
“I’m nervous about…” “I’m excited about…”
Your name Literature Links Teacher Literature Links Class Period
Inside Left:
Inside Right:
List the important characters in this novel and describe each in two or three sentences.
Describe the setting and explain how it is important to the story.
Explain the point of view in which the story is written (first person, third person, etc.)
Identify the theme (big idea) of the novel (i.e., friendship, love, loss, family, etc.). Explain in a few sentences how you know this is the theme of the novel.
REVIEW – Did you like the novel? Why or why not? How hard or easy was this book to read? Were the characters interesting and well-developed? Did the plot move too slowly, too fast, or just right? How well did the story hold your interest? Did it get boring at times? To whom would you recommend this book? Why? For an example of a good book review, see http://www.teenink.com/reviews/book_reviews/.
List five or more new or interesting vocabulary words you encountered in this novel. Define each.
DUE DATE – MONDAY, SEPT. 12, 2016
RUBRIC
5
3
1
0
Completion
All required information included. Ideas fully developed.
Most required information included. Ideas clearly presented.
Some required information included. Ideas may be unclear at times.
Missing most/ all required information.
Writing Quality
Few errors in sentence formation, capitalization, and spelling.
Some errors in sentence formation, capitalization, and spelling.
Many errors in sentence formation, capitalization, and spelling.
Severe errors interfere with reader’s understanding of the text.
Creativity/neatness
Product shows great attention to detail. It is visually appealing and neatly assembled.
Product is well-organized and neatly presented.
Product shows an attempt at organizing but may be messy or difficult to read.
Product lacks any organization. It is difficult for the reader to follow the information.
On time?
Yes
No
QUESTIONS? – If you have questions about how to complete this assignment over the summer, please contact Dr. Ryan Monaghan at rmonaghan@ojrsd.com. We are looking forward to meeting you and hearing about all of your great books!
~ The Seventh Grade Literature Links Teachers
*All IEP accommodations provided to students during the school year are available to students for the summer reading assignments.
Welcome, Incoming 7th Graders!
We are looking forward to meeting you in the fall and working with you this year. We hope that you will continue to read many different things over the summer – books, blogs, articles, poetry, etc. To kick off the year, you will be sharing one great novel from your summer reading with your Literature Links class. We hope that hearing about all the great books your peers read over the summer will help you find some new books to add to your own “Books I Want to Read” list!
Why read over the summer? Reading over the summer is not only a great escape for your imagination, but it helps you to use and hold on to all the reading skills you have developed. Summer reading prepares you to be a stronger student when you come back to school!
STEP #1
READ a grade-appropriate work of fiction of interest to you. If you need help finding a book, try looking at websites such as www.goodreads.com. Here are some possibilities based on The New York Times Best Sellers List. These are just suggested titles – choose something of interest at your own reading level. Be sure your parent/guardian approves of your selection.
New York Times Best Sellers – Middle Grades
PAX, by Sara Pennypacker. Illustrated by Jon Klassen. (Balzer & Bray.) Separation makes a boy and his pet fox wilder and tougher.
WONDER, by R. J. Palacio. (Knopf.) A boy with a facial deformity enters school.
THE SWORD OF SUMMER, by Rick Riordan. (Disney-Hyperion.) A homeless teenager tries to retrieve an ancient Norse sword.
AUGGIE & ME, by R. J. Palacio. (Knopf.) A collection of three "Wonder" stories.
MR. LEMONCELLO'S LIBRARY OLYMPICS, by Chris Grabenstein. (Random House.) Teams compete while trying to solve the mystery of the missing books.
ROBOTS GO WILD, by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein. Illustrated by Juliana Neufeld. (Little, Brown.) A sequel features a boy and his robot trying to help a bedridden sister.
CRENSHAW, by Katherine Applegate. (Feiwel & Friends.) A giant cat on a surfboard appears to a boy on the verge of homelessness.
BAD LUCK, by Pseudonymous Bosch. (Little, Brown.) Clay proves his mettle when a cruise ship owner arrives on the island intent on stirring up trouble.
THE TERRIBLE TWO GET WORSE, by Mac Barnett and Jory John. Illustrated by Kevin Cornell. (Abrams.) Pranksters face a new challenge when a former principal returns to the job.
Step #2
CREATE a visual display about your book, using a manila folder. Be creative and thoughtful in your presentation. You may create each section electronically or by hand. Remember that the purpose of the activity is to persuade others to read your book!
*Instead of the manila folder, you are allowed to create an electronic version of this assignment if you prefer. Just be sure to include all of the same information, clearly labeled. Bring to class on a thumb drive.
Author
SUMMARY – An objective summary tells who the main character is, the setting, the conflict or problem, and how the character goes about resolving the problem. Do not give away the climax or resolution of the story. Do not include minor details from the plot or your personal opinion about the book.
Images that represent the novel, or a picture of the cover of the book (hand-drawn or electronic).
Biographical information about the author (where he/she lives, other books he or she has written, etc.)
Use words and pictures to introduce yourself to your new classmates.
You might include information about:
Family
Interests
Activities
Favorite things
School(s) you attended
Hopes and dreams for 7th grade
“I’m nervous about…”
“I’m excited about…”
Your name
Literature Links Teacher
Literature Links Class Period
Describe the setting and explain how it is important to the story.
Explain the point of view in which the story is written (first person, third person, etc.)
Identify the theme (big idea) of the novel (i.e., friendship, love, loss, family, etc.). Explain in a few sentences how you know this is the theme of the novel.
List five or more new or interesting vocabulary words you encountered in this novel. Define each.
DUE DATE – MONDAY, SEPT. 12, 2016
RUBRIC
We are looking forward to meeting you and hearing about all of your great books!
~ The Seventh Grade Literature Links Teachers
*All IEP accommodations provided to students during the school year are available to students for the summer reading assignments.